SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission to pave way for deep space exploration

By Zeynep Duyar

ANKARA (AA) – US-based spacecraft-maker SpaceX plans to carry out Polaris Dawn, a groundbreaking crewed mission that has faced multiple delays due to technical issues and weather concerns.

Four crew members will be inside the Dragon spacecraft aboard a Falcon 9 rocket to be launched into space from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of the mission, which is deemed one of SpaceX's most ambitious to date.

The craft aims to reach a maximum altitude of about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles), making it the highest crewed mission since the Apollo era.

The crew members will conduct a spacewalk of 20 minutes at a 700-kilometer altitude, 300 kilometers beyond the International Space Station (ISS), a first in half a century.

Two crew members, Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis, will conduct the first-ever private spacewalk during the mission, which is planned to last about five days.

Led by billionaire entrepreneur Isaacman, who is funding the mission, the crew includes pilot Scott Poteet, a former US Air Force lieutenant colonel, and mission specialists Gillis and Anna Menon, both SpaceX engineers.

The mission has faced several delays. Originally scheduled for Aug. 26, it was first postponed for preflight checkouts, then due to a helium leak, and most recently because of unfavorable weather forecasts in Dragon's splashdown areas off the Florida coast.

SpaceX has not yet announced a new target launch date, but has ruled out attempts on Aug. 28 and 29.

The mission aims to contribute to research in understanding the effects of spaceflight and space radiation on human health. The experience gained from the total of 36 planned experiments will help improve technology for future Moon and Mars missions.

The crew will also be the first to test the laser-based communications system, Starlink, in space.

- Milestone in economic opportunities

Oguz Karasu, postdoctoral research fellow at Oxford University, told Anadolu that the Polaris Dawn mission is a significant endeavor and one of SpaceX's most ambitious crewed space missions so far.

“Space research is no longer done through government projects, as it has now become an area of research greatly invested in by the private sector, since for the first time ever, a commercial company will carry humans beyond low orbit, a distance not travelled since Apollo 17," said Karasu.

Karasu stated that "off-vehicle activity" suits developed by SpaceX will be used in the mission, and the experience gained from using them will be fundamental to designing and building missions to the Moon and Mars.

“The high-speed and reliable communications technology Starlink is important for the future of long-duration space missions and Internet connectivity here on Earth.

"By contributing to its development by testing it in outer space, Polaris Dawn will mark an important milestone in both technological development and economic opportunities," he added.

"As long as the technologies used in the mission prove successful, the costs of space missions can be expected to decrease, allowing more companies to become part of commercial space exploration, ushering in a new era for the world economy," he added.

*Writing by Emir Yildirim in Istanbul